candy-coat

verb

can·​dy-coat ˈkan-dē-ˌkōt 

variants or less commonly candy coat

candy-coated also candy coated; candy-coating also candy coating; candy-coats also candy coats

transitive verb

1

: to coat (food) in sugar and often other ingredients (such as flavoring or coloring)

candy-coated the pecans

a process for candy-coating chocolates

2

: to make (something that is disagreeable, difficult, or harsh) seem more pleasant, attractive, or acceptable : sugarcoat sense 2

Although Capra characterized his films as "Sermons on the Mount," he knew how to candy-coat the morals with laughter.

—Mark Goodman et al.

… I recommended a pair of tours that celebrate the best of Venice's traditions without candy-coating its complexities or exploiting its extremes.

—Matthew Jaffe

Elsewhere on the album, he candy-coats some of the most hopeless lyrics by adding vocal harmonies …

—Kalefa Sanneh

Word History

First Known Use

1930, in the meaning defined at sense 1